Edon Zharku, Somerset Canyon's youngest soccer player, is also team's most versatile
Somerset-Canyons boys soccer won its game against Santaluces on Thursday night, but the win wasn't the game's biggest storyline, and neither was the fact that the Cougars did it in the pouring rain.
They have proven that adversity is rarely an issue, evidenced by the squad's 7-0-4 record.
But while Thursday's win, weather aside, was expected by many, it also saw the Cougars' youngest varsity player see the fruits of his labor.
Eighth grader Edon Zharku scored his first varsity goal in the 4-1 win over Santaluces, his score coming amid a four-goal frenzy the Cougars managed in the final 20 minutes of the match's first half.
Zharku, who's been with the program since the sixth grade, is one of the Cougars' most versatile and energetic players. He's listed as a defender but plays where he's needed, having debuted in several defensive and defensive-midfield positions.
"He's not one you'll see in the stats," head coach Eric De Sousa said. "What he's done is, every game we've had, whether it be injury or suspension, he's been a tool that's shown up to every game not knowing what position he's going to play. He's done everything we've asked. When he comes on the field, he brings a different type of energy with his communication, his positivity."
De Sousa called Zharku's first varsity goal a storybook ending for the eighth grader, who has certainly been deserving of his time in the spotlight — despite not seeing his name written on the scorecard all that often.
One of Somerset's mottos, coined by De Sousa and his ever-knowledgeable assistant John Quinto, is for players to "be the reason," to find a way to be the reason why the team is successful on any given night.
"He's made 'man of the match' twice this season, just because of what he's brought," De Sousa said. "Even when we didn't know what we needed, he found what we needed in that moment."
Part of it comes from a systemic place of leadership within the soccer program.
Somerset has a program of "bigs" and "smalls" where each varsity player partners up with a member of the middle school team — and Zharku has had the advantage of learning under the wing of team captain Ron-Elijah Pierre.
"I have amazing role models with my seniors, my captains," Zharku said. "I'm happy I can fill those spots and that I can help my team out. My relationship with Ron is amazing. I look up to him. He's one of my go-to players if I ever need something. He's usually got the answers."
Thursday's game will be one that the Cougars' young, versatile weapon will remember for quite some time.
"I got my first goal," Zharku said. "I finally got to do what I wanted to do."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Somerset soccer: Edon Zharku is undefeated Cougars' unsung hero
